More than 1,200 pavement parking fines handed out in eight months in North Ayrshire

More than 1,200 tickets have been issued to motorists in North Ayrshire for illegal pavement parking, it emerged at a meeting of the full council.

North Coast Independent cllr Ian Murdoch asked cabinet member for Green Environment and the Economy, Tony Gurney on Wednesday how many Penalty Charge Notices had been issued for each town in respect of the Pavement Parking Ban since the scheme was fully implemented in April.

Cllr Gurney revealed that a total of 1,260 drivers had been issued – with 1,165 of those given out in individual towns and another 95 for A and B roads not classified against a specific town, as of Friday, November 22.

The highest number within the towns (306) were issued in Saltcoats, with the next highest Largs at 263 and Irvine racking up 223.

Other totals within the specific towns were under 100.

There were 99 in Ardrossan; 76 in Kilwinning; 43 in both Irvine and Stevenston; 35 in Beith; 31 in Fairlie; 22 in West Kilbride; 17 in Dalry; three in Millport; two in Skelmorlie and one apiece in Brodick and Portencross.

Cllr Murdoch then asked why the council did not carry out a full communications exercise on the enforcement of pavement parking legislation as they had on decriminalised parking enforcement.

But Cllr Gurney responded: “I’m afraid I have to disagree with that, as far as I am aware, a full set of communications was put out both by us and the Scottish Government to remind people that these restrictions were coming and to remind people why had brought the in because our drivers quite often park poorly and force old people to walk on dangerous roads or people in mobility scooters to jump up and down payments or mothers with prams to force themselves into traffic to get around car drivers who have blocked the only pavements available.

“Those things were all put out there before the legislation came into practice and I am happy with the comms we did at the time.”